


No Way But Down

by Galaxy_Collector



Series: Sin Euphoric [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/M, Riverdale, originally appeared on wattpad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-24 16:22:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 18,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14359143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxy_Collector/pseuds/Galaxy_Collector
Summary: In which FP Jones is rescued from jail by his first love.FP x OCthis is an AU of the end of season 1





	1. Chapter 1

"Bee," Veronica screamed down the hallway. "Betty."

She was waving wildly and it didn't take her long until she was next to her best friend; the crowd always seeming to part when she walked through it.

"Oh my God, did you hear?"

"Did I hear what?" Betty asked, packing her bag full.

"I guess that answers that," Kevin said, appearing out of nowhere.

"Oh, nothing, just that...," Veronica started again.

"Hey, guys," Archie shouted, effectively cutting his girlfriend off.

She gave him a look that told him she wasn't happy. He returned it by giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling her off to the side.

"It's supposed to be a surprise," Archie whispered. "Jughead's gonna kill you if you say anything. He never wants to surprise people. Don't ruin this for him."

"Okay, geez. I didn't know."

Archie wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to his body. "I have a surprise too," he said conspiratorially.

"Oh, really?"

"Hey, guys," Archie said loud enough for them to hear. "We'll see you in a minute, okay?"

Betty waved, clearly still distracted by whatever test was running through her head as the pair darted off to an abandoned closet.

"They're so obvious," Kevin said. "So, what are we doing tonight? 

"Yeah, whatever you want," Betty said.

"Really? Okay, well, I was thinking we could head over to the Whyte Worm, pick a fight, get our asses kicked, and then end the night with milkshakes at Pop's."

"Sure."

"You're so not listening. You know what? I'm going to find some friends that realize how awesome I am," Kevin said in a dreamy tone.

"What?" she asked, stopping in the middle of the hall.

"I knew you weren't listening," he said, giving her a smirk. "It's fine. Just spill the beans and we'll figure it out whatever test has got you all up in your head."

"Oh, umm, well," she said, starting to walk again. "I sorta heard something that I don't really know what to do with and I don't know if I should tell Jug or not. And..."

"Woo, chill. Tell me what happened, from the beginning, and we'll go from there."

"I went to visit FP this morning, bring him some junk food. And I overheard your dad say something that doesn't make a lot of sense."

"Okay," Kevin said slowly when she didn't start talking right away. "Well, what'd he say?"

"He said, 'You know there's only one person who can get you out of here, right? Just call her. Then you can get home to your boy.' Then FP said, 'She's not coming back. I made damn sure of that,' but he sounded sad when he said it and I have no idea who they were talking about, but if it's someone who can get his dad out I should tell Jughead, right?"

"Okay, umm, let's take this one sentence at a time."

They crossed the threshold of their math class, smiling politely to Mr. Birdie. Kevin sent up a silent prayer that he wouldn't want to start class immediately. As soon as he called them all to order, he huffed quietly to himself and sat down next to Betty where he always did. She copied his movements and tried to concentrate on the lesson, but Kevin wasn't ready to let this go yet.

He scribbled quickly on a piece of paper and pushed it toward Betty.

Let's ask my dad.

She shook her head as soon as she read it and tore a corner off some scrap paper sticking out of her binder.

Because it's a secret. I wasn't even supposed to be listening.

He read it once before turning it over and scribbling again on the back. Betty turned back to her book so it seemed like they weren't doing exactly what they were doing.

Let's ask Archie. See if he knows anything.

Betty read it and then nodded just enough for Kevin to know she agreed without having to tear her eyes from the blackboard.

Thankfully, everything flowed from one class to the next without too much of a lull, leaving Betty to her own devices until lunch time. She had her books clutched tightly to her chest as she half-listened to Kevin rattle on about the pros and cons of telling Jughead first.

She noticed Archie and Veronica were already at their lunch table when they walked into the cafeteria and she gave them a funny look when it seemed like they were trying to hide something. She narrowed her eyes for a second before she noticed Jughead appearing from behind them. She shrieked loudly, not caring who was watching them, and jumped into his outstretched arms. She left her books in a pile on the floor and all the worries of the day melted away as her lips touched his.

She was a giggly mess as she sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder. Nothing else mattered now, not even eating lunch.

"Betty," Jughead whispered, "you have to eat." 

Like every time before, he could read her mind. "I'm not hungry right now," she said, never moving from his side. "When do you have to leave?"

"I don't," he beamed. "I get to say. Fred Andrews finally got approved to be my legal guardian."

She couldn't stop the tears that instantly started to form at the amazing news. He wiped away what fell as soon as she looked up to him.

"You knew?" she turned to Archie, finding it impossible to be mad at him for keeping this secret.

"Now will you eat?"

Everyone gave a quiet chuckle as she finally gave in and rushed off to the lunch line. "Is she always like that when I'm gone?"

No one would look him in the eyes now and he knew the answer. He had a hard time without her too, but it hurt him to know she felt that way. It wasn't fair. She was too good to feel any pain.

\-------------

"Okay, now are you gonna tell me what's going on?" Jughead asked before kissing the top of Betty's head.

They stopped in front of her house and her whole body tensed so he knew he was right. "Umm, Juggie, I umm..."

"Woo, must be bad," he teased, trying to lighten the mood. "Just tell me."

"I went to give FP breakfast and when I got there, well, Sheriff Keller told him that there was only one person who could get him out and then told him to call her," she blurted out in one breathe.

"Really?"

"Yeah," she started again, much slower. "And then your dad said that he made sure she wasn't coming back. And then I left." Betty watched his face closely as he tried to process what she'd told him. "Should I not have told you since I basically don't know anything?"

"I'm glad you told me," he admitted. "That means there's someone out there who can help."

"Yea, but we don't know who she is."

"You, Betty Cooper, will figure it out."


	2. Chapter 2

Betty took a deep breath, put her phone in her back pocket, and walked down the steps to where her dad usually hid out.

"Hey, dad," she called out before she was all the way down. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he said, "What's up?"

"I was wondering... if you knew someone who used to hang out with FP when you guys were in high school?"

"That would be a question for her mother," he said, clipping his words. "I didn't hang out with Serpents."

"You married Mom," Betty retorted.

Hal narrowed his eyes for a second before turning back to the TV and effectively ignoring Betty. She knew she'd been dismissed, but she was mad that he'd just turn his back on something that was obviously such a huge part of his wife's life at one point.

"Yeah, okay," she finally said, turning to walk back up the stairs.

She faltered at the top, her hand on the knob, not wanting to face her mom. It'd occurred to her earlier that FP may be referring to her own mother; that she was who he was waiting for. It was pretty well-known, that they had some sort of relationship when they were younger. She just didn't know if she was ready for the worst to be confirmed.

"Mom," she called out.

"In here," Alice said from the kitchen.

Betty squared her shoulders and walked into the room, knowing if she hesitated anymore she wouldn't do it at all. Her mom was chopping onions and tears were flowing freely down her face. She gave Betty a wide smile, "Hey, sweetie."

"I, umm, wanted to ask you a question... about FP."

"Oh," Alice answered, wiping her eyes on her apron. She wasn't looking at Betty, but the fact that no one had yelled yet meant it was probably okay to continue.

"Did he hang out with anyone when you guys were younger? Like, maybe in high school or something?"

"Umm, yeah. We all hung out together. Me, your dad, FP, Hermione, Fred... and Mary."

Betty definitely didn't miss the pause her mom had taken before rounding out their friend group. She just didn't know if she could or should press it. "Anyone else?"

Alice sat the knife on the edge of the cutting board and met Betty's eyes. "What is it, Betty?"

"Nothing. I just, uh, I was wondering. Writing an article about previous generations at Riverdale High."

"You're a bad liar," Alice said flatly.

Betty stared right back at her mother, wondering who would win this little battle. It was always a coin toss between them, their stubbornness being dished out in equal measures.

"I heard FP and Sheriff Keller talking this morning," she admitted.

"About what?"

"He said that FP could get out if he just called her. They didn't say who it was, but I thought maybe it was someone from his past."

Alice swallowed hard. Whatever she'd thought Betty was going to say, that wasn't it. She was blinking rapidly, but this time it wasn't because of any food. She didn't want to tell Betty the truth. That was obvious.

Hal walked up the stairs as they continued their staring contest. He looked between the pair for a second before walking around them and to the fridge without a word. He took a drink, clearly trying to decide the best course of action.

"Come on, Alice. Just tell her about Dylan. She's gonna figure it out anyway. She's just like her mother. She doesn't know when to stop."

Alice gasped loudly and turned her gaze to her husband. She was shooting daggers at him, but he was doing it right back to her. She wanted to slap the smirk off his face so badly.

"Who's Dylan?" Betty asked.

"She's FP's wife," he said, never turning from Alice.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hal," Alice yelled.

"What?" Betty shrieked.

The smirk never left Hal's face as he looked over the chaos he'd created. Alice knew there was nothing that would get her out of the hole her husband had dug for them all. Betty had officially heard enough to get the right information pretty fast. FP wouldn't be happy when he learned she'd told all their secrets, but she also knew he'd want it to come from one of them and not the paper.

"Mom?" Betty asked, looking to her mother.

"I, umm, let's go in the living room and we can talk about it."

"Are you gonna answer my questions this time?"

"Yes, I promise," Alice said.

"Is he married to two people?"

"No," she said, sitting down on the couch and motioning for Betty to join her.

She, however, was refusing to accept the most basic part of this conversation. There was no way that FP had lied to Jughead like this. She continued to pace in front of Alice, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"So, he didn't marry, Mrs. Jones?"

"No. She just wanted us all to call her that, but it was never true."

Betty went quiet again, trying to get a grip on where the story fell apart. "Wow," she said. "So, this Dylan is who can get him out of jail, then?"

"Yes, but Betty... there's a reason she left."

"I don't care about that," Betty admitted. "Jughead needs his dad."

Alice hung her head and began to pick at her fingernails. "FP isn't his biological father," she whispered. 

"Excuse me?"

Betty didn't miss the fact that her father had dropped this bombshell and then left in its wake. There was no excusing his behavior anymore.

"Gigi is Jughead's mom. She, uh, she came back to town after being gone for a year with a baby. FP wanted a family."

"Start at the beginning," Betty said, sitting down across from her finally.

"Umm, okay," Alice said. "So, obviously, we all got pregnant at the same time," waving her hand around and gesturing at nothing. "Well, Dylan and FP were first. They—umm—they got married and found out she was pregnant, like, a month later or something. It wasn't bad, though, both their parents were about it. Except, well, FP's dad. Other than that, it was good. Then she had a miscarriage," Alice continued, "And it took a while for them to... to recover, but they did. She...," her words trailed off again. "she got to her due date once, but the baby didn't make it."

She swallowed hard as Betty covered her mouth in surprise. Alice seemed to be choking on her words, gulping loudly as she tried to keep going; tears free-falling down her face.

"When I got pregnant with your brother and I ended up at the Sisters, she was there too. For a different reason," Alice whispered. "FP visited her every day for two years. But then she got out and moved to Chicago. Didn't even tell him she was leaving or thinking about leaving. He would have gone with her."

Betty nodded, unable to find any words to say when Alice looked back up. "I can't—can't talk about it anymore, okay?"

Betty rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her mom, whose whole frame was shaking from the tears she was shedding. She couldn't help but cry for what had obviously been a horrific situation. It was the first time, though, that Betty could see that they'd all been friends once. She could actually picture it.

"Don't tell Jughead," Alice said, her voice muffled from being in Betty's embrace.

"I won't," Betty lied.


	4. Chapter 4

Betty watched Jughead carefully as he sat in front of her, head in his hands. She was starting to wonder if she should have put this whole thing into motion to begin with. He wanted and needed to know, but she wanted to protect him. He'd had so much bad happen to him it didn't seem fair to have anymore. One person could only shoulder so much pain.

"And you're sure?" Jughead asked, head still down.

"Yes. That's all she said."

"Well, I guess it's time to talk to Fred Andrews."

"What? Why?"

"He was friends with them too. It's either him or Hermione Lodge and I like Fred better."

"Jughead, they—they lost their baby. Should we really drag this all out again? I mean, that's probably why he won't call her."

"I'm not letting my Dad rot in there, Betty. I can't."

"You're right," she asserted. "Let's go."

\-------------

Jughead wrapped his arm around Betty's shoulders as they both looked up at the large building in front of them. People with briefcases were coming and going, not paying any attention to the two teenagers gawking at its size.

He took a deep breath, gave Betty's shoulder a squeeze, and started toward the revolving doors. The space on the other side was a huge open area, with one small circular desk in the center. He pointed Betty in its direction and the tiny receptionist seated there.

"Welcome to Scissortail Publishing. Do you have an appointment?"

"We need to see Mary Andrews," Betty piped up.

"And your name?"

"Jughead Jones," he said, finding his voice, "And Betty Cooper."

"One moment," she said, giving them a forced smile as she picked up the phone. "Yes, Ms. Andrews. There is a Jughead Jones and a Betty..."

"Of course," she said, after being interrupted. "I'll send them right up."

Jughead suddenly felt the butterflies in his stomach start to do nosedives. He felt sick, but he wasn't going to stop now either. He knew it was a real possibility that Dylan would shut the door in his face, if she agreed to see them at all. He'd prepared himself for it, but he knew Betty had gotten her hopes up and there wasn't anything he could do to stop it. He was about to see his eternal optimistic get let down. Again.

"Go to the middle elevator and press the button for the 24th floor. Ms. Andrews will be there when you get off," the receptionist said, putting the phone back in its holder.

"Ready?" Betty asked as they walked away.

"Yep."

They both were silent as they rode up, neither wanting to talk first. Each ding for the floors sounded like a cannon blast to him, breaking through his constant commentary.

The elevator began to slow before the doors slid open. As promised, Mary was standing right there waiting for them. 

"Hey, guys," she said, pulling them out and into a hug. "You ready?"

Jughead could only nod now as she lead them toward a pair of enormous, wooden double doors. Mary knocked lightly and a voice from within told them to enter. Jughead squeezed Betty's hand tight as they walked into the plush office.

"Dee," Mary said. "I have some kids here that would like to talk to you."

The woman behind the desk looked up from the computer and pulled off her glasses. "Oh, okay," she said, walking around her desk with her hand out to greet them. "Hi, I'm Dylan."

"Hi," Betty said first. "I'm Betty Cooper. And this is Jughead Jones."

Her lips instantly pursed and her face fell at the mention of his name. He had known better than to come here. "Jones, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm Forsythe Pendleton the third."

His mouth was still open slightly as he stared into her eyes, waiting for her to respond. He completely understood the pull she had over his father. In addition to be utterly gorgeous, she was smart enough as to have left Riverdale behind.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"My dad's in jail," Jughead blurted out.

She didn't say anything as she turned to Mary. She was shooting daggers, making Mary put up her hands in surrender. "I know. But he made me swear not to tell you," Mary admitted.

She didn't utter another word as she walked back to her desk and pulled up her phone. Jughead's heart fell into a pit in his stomach as Mary quickly ushered them out of the office.

"I'm so sorry. I really thought she'd help. I really did," Mary offered.

"It's okay," Jughead lied again. "I'll figure something else out. Thank you, Ms. Andrews."

"I didn't do anything."

They each gave her another hug before walking back the way they'd come. It was going to be a ridiculously long ride home.

Just as the elevator doors were closing them in, they saw Dylan running to catch up with them.

"Wait," she called out. "Where are you guys going?"

Jughead stuck his arm out to keep the doors open. "Oh, umm, we thought that..."

"Oh, sorry," she answered, smiling wide. "I was booking us a flight back to Riverdale."

"You'll help?"

"Of course," she answered. "Let me grab my stuff and we'll go."

Jughead wanted to cry when the relief started to wash over him. They were actually going to be able to help his dad get home, where he belonged.


	5. Chapter 5

Jughead worked on only listening to the noise of the plane's engine working overtime to bring them all home. He had to fight the urge to ask Dylan a hundred questions about his dad and what he might have been like before Jughead had been born. He'd clearly been a different person, someone not jaded and angry at the world.

From what Jughead could see, out of the corner of his eye, Dylan was chewing on the end of her pen—just like he did—as she read the manuscript propped up in her lap. He kept finding similarities between them as they rode, but he reminded himself none of these things were all that special.

"Spit it out, Jughead," Dylan said suddenly, not looking at him.

Her eyes were still darting across the page in front of her. "Sorry," he whispered back.

"It's fine. Just ask me whatever it is you wanna ask me."

"Did you love my dad?"

"Yes."

"Do you still?"

"I'm not here to ruin your family. I just want to help. Then I'll leave."

"There's no family to ruin," he admitted, turning to stare out the window.

He could feel her staring at him, but with the tears welling in his eyes kept him from looking her way again. He didn't miss the fact that she hadn't technically answered him. It was clear neither of them had truly moved on. 

He could feel Betty's warmth radiating from his left side, where she was asleep and knew that if she ever left him he would never get over it either. He knew he couldn't really understand that level of pain, not now and hopefully not ever.

\-------------

Mary waved frantically to them, a huge smile on her face, with Fred at her side doing the same. Jughead couldn't help but copy their movements. That kind of happens was always infectious, no matter what he did to fight it. 

Fred and Mary both rushed forward as soon as they were down the escalator and wrapped Betty and Jughead up in their arms. "Geez, Mr. Andrews. I didn't know you liked me so much."

Fred gave a watery laugh and turned to Dylan. He kissed her on the forehead before wrapping her up in a hug too.

"I can't believe you're here," he said, letting her go just enough to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

He grabbed Mary's hand on his other side and pointed them both toward the door. Betty tangled her fingers with Jughead's as they followed behind.

"They're just like us," Betty said quietly.

"Yeah, except they went through hell and didn't make it," Jughead said.

"Wanna go to Pop's?" Fred asked as they headed toward the car rental kiosk.

"FP first," Dylan answered.

"Kids, you wanna ride with Mary and me back to my house?"

"No," Jughead said, "I wanna see my dad."

Fred and Mary knew better than to ask Betty what she planned on doing as she attached herself to Jughead's side. Fred let her go to pick up her car but gave her another big hug before she got in.

Betty sat in the front so she wouldn't look like a chauffeur, not that Dylan would have noticed. She was paying attention to traffic, but not much more. Jughead wasn't about to interrupt whatever was going on in her head. He couldn't imagine what kind of courage it took to do what she was doing today.

They pulled up to the sheriff's station before he was ready. Jughead said a silent prayer that Betty had been right and that she had heard Keller correctly. Finding out it was all wrong now would devastate him. Regardless of what he would tell anyone, he had gotten his hopes up too.

He held open the door for the two women and kept right on Dylan's heels as she walked up to the receptionist. They all heard a shriek from the other side of the little hole in the bulletproof glass. Sandra came out of her office next and gave Dylan a hug, which she returned.

Dylan said something he couldn't quite make out, but he got the gist of it as the other woman answered.

"Sure, sure. Let me get Tom for you. Nice to see you, sweetheart."

"You too, Sandy."

Dylan started to wring her hands as Sandra peeked her head through Sheriff Keller's office door. They heard the scrapping of a chair on linoleum as he rushed to see.

"Oh my God," he called before he was even out the door.

Dylan rushed over and threw her arms around his neck. They were laughing and talking loudly as they headed back to the cell that held Jughead's dad. He wondered if FP could hear her and what he'd do when he saw her.

Sheriff Keller walked through the door first. "Alright, FP. You ready to go?"

He had his head down, "Go? Go where?"

Dylan walked into the room, her outfit making her stand out like a sore thumb against the drab coloring that was Riverdale. Her purse was still slung carefully over her arm as she folded her hands in front of her, waiting for FP to notice she was there.

"Home," Tom answered matter-of-factly.

Jughead stepping walked around the corner just as FP looked up, his face etched in confusion. His eyes were thirsty as he drank her in through the metal bars.

"You're here?" he chocked out.

She stepped forward and took the keys from Sheriff Keller. "Yes, you asshole."

He laughed quietly as she unlocked the door and held out her hand for him to take. He did so without hesitation, pulling her into his arms. Jughead suddenly felt like he was imposing as his dad started to cry in earnest. He didn't even care enough to wipe away the tears falling down his face.

From the way Dylan's whole body as shaking, she was crying too. Jughead grabbed Betty's hand and they walked back into the hallway.

"Do you think she'll stay?" Jughead asked.

"I don't know," Betty answered distractedly. "I need to tell you something. Or ask you something."

"Okay," Jughead said slowly.

Suddenly, Dylan and FP walked out of the room, arms wrapped around each other. Betty opened her mouth to talk but let it close when she saw the pair. She didn't want to interrupt this moment either.


	6. Chapter 6

"Oh my God, Fred," Dylan screeched. "I can't believe you kept this picture. I thought me and Mary burned them all."

"Oh, no," Fred teased. "Mary hid some and passed them to me."

"What?" she said, turning on her friend.

"I was in love," Mary said, shrugging her shoulders.

Fred and FP chuckled low as the two women talked about the pros and cons of teenage love. Fred reached into the fridge and emerged with two beers in his hands. He handed one over to FP, who politely declined, his eyes never really leaving Dylan's face.

Jughead was watching them out of the corner of his eye, but for the most part he was trying to give them their privacy.

"Can we go outside and talk?" Betty asked suddenly.

"Sure," he said, smiling up at her as she walked toward the back door.

He hit Archie and Kevin's legs to let them know they were moving their own group. The grown-up crowd was already too loud for them to have their conversations.

Archie and Kevin followed without another word, their parents not even noticing they were gone. As soon as they got to the garage, they went to their different spots. Kevin stretched out all the way out before turning to the others.

"So, do we like Dylan?"

"Jughead, can I talk to you privately for a second?" Betty asked, completely ignoring Kevin. 

"It's fine, Bets," Jughead answered, motioning for her to sit down.

Just like a couple of days before, she was pacing in front of everyone while they waited for her to say something.

"Betty," Archie said, prompting her.

"FP's not your dad," she blurted out.

Kevin's mouth slowly slid into a smile, as did Archie's. Jughead was the only one holding out to see if it was really a joke. Forever the pessimist.

"What?" Archie and Kevin said together.

Betty continued to stare straight ahead at Jughead, waiting now for him to talk.

"My mom told me that your mom came back to town after Dylan left and she had a baby. Your dad was so sad and he wanted a family and..."

Jughead's mouth dropped open before he darted out the door and up the steps that lead into the Andrews kitchen.

"Are you my dad?" Jughead shouted before he was fully in the small room.

"What, Jug?" FP said, standing up straight from where he'd been bent over to lay on Dylan's shoulder.

"Are.you.my.dad?" he asked, accentuating every word.

"Of course I'm your dad, Jughead. What's going on?"

The entire room was silent as Jughead rounded on Betty as she came barreling through the door, the rest of his group seeming to catch up with his thought process.

"Tell him what you told me," he demanded.

Betty swallowed hard before turning to the adults in the room, every single eye on her. "My mom told me that Gigi—Mrs. Jones—came back into town after Dylan left and she had a baby already."

She said the last bit in a barely audible whisper, but everyone heard her.

"Fucking Alice," FP said, letting his head drop, his hands still on either side of Dylan.

"You didn't tell him?" Dylan hissed. "Are you serious, FP?"

He turned back to Jughead and motioned for them all to leave. "Let's go home and we'll talk about it there," he held out his hand for Dylan. "Thanks, Fred. It was a lot of fun. I'm sure we'll be back later."

Fred gave him a nod and held out his hand to shake. FP returned the gesture, not letting go of Dylan and then turning to Jughead. He put his hand on his back and started to steer him toward the door, but he didn't budge.

"Please, Jug."

Archie, Kevin, Mary, and Fred watched as Jughead, Betty, FP, and Dylan walked to the front door. The younger pair waved to everyone as they headed out into the dark. It was drizzling just enough to be irritating as they all jogged to Dylan's rental car. FP pulled Dylan's door open and let her get inside before rushing around to the driver's side.

FP reversed out of the driveway and gave a forced smile to Betty, not bothering to say anything to Jughead as he stared out the window, one hand still in her lap.


	7. Chapter 7

Everyone walked through the grass to the front door of the trailer. FP hadn't really thought about it long enough to be ashamed of his house, but suddenly he was. Dylan, even though she'd grown up here, right alongside him, didn't belong in this place. 

He unlocked the door and ushered everyone inside. Dylan walked in and looked around before turning back to FP. "Nice," she lied. 

He rolled his eyes and chuckled low at her manners, something that was familiar and he was finding himself falling back into. 

"Okay, I wanna know something," Jughead started, rounding on Dylan. "Are you, like, staying now?" 

"Jug," FP interrupted his son's rude behavior. 

"I came to get your dad out. I did that," Dylan said. 

"He's not my dad," Jughead muttered. 

"I am your dad," FP responded forcefully. "I may not have been a good one, but I'm your dad, damnit." 

"And you didn't tell me because...."

"I was chickenshit, Jug. I didn't want you to think less of me. You already broke my heart. I didn't wanna do that to you."

"What happened?" Dylan interjected. 

"Penny...," FP started. 

"Penny?" Dylan shrieked. "Oh hell no," she said, starting back out the door without really thinking of where she was going. 

FP grabbed the end of her jacket and kept her from going too far. He absentmindedly pulled her back to him, wrapping his arms around her waist to keep her in place. 

"I'll kill her," she whispered. 

"I'll go with you in the morning," FP whispered back. 

"I didn't know you knew that," Jughead admitted, refusing to look at Betty.

"Jug, listen. I'm your dad and I'm sorry I didn't tell you, okay?" 

"But...," Jughead started. 

"But nothing. I'm a jackass. I'm the worst dad ever. I'm your dad, though. I don't know who made you, but I'm it."

Jughead's shoulder slumped when he realized FP was right. He walked forward slowly and gave FP an awkward side hug before taking Betty's hand and heading back to his room. Dylan shot FP a look. 

"What?" 

She gave a heavy sigh and admitted defeat. He wasn't going to let her leave tonight to take care of anything. She was just going to have to wait until tomorrow when he could go with her and know she was safe.

\-------------

"Are you gonna let me go talk to Penny tomorrow?" Dylan asked. 

She was tracing imaginary patterns onto FP's bare chest as they lay there in the dark. She had promised herself she wouldn't stay, but he had asked and she had agreed. 

FP had one arm wrapped around her waist and the other propping his head up. He rubbed her arm a couple of times before answering her. 

"I think when I tell you what's going on, I won't be able to keep you away. Just promise you won't leave without me. I'll let you rip her damn face off. Just... just don't leave me."

"FP, I have to go back to Chicago." 

"Do you wanna leave me?" 

"No," she admitted. 

She was glad the darkness was there to cover up the heat creeping up to her cheeks. She thought he might be able to feel it, but he didn't say anything. She knew it should bother her to be this close to him after all this time, but it didn't feel wrong so she wasn't going to move. 

"We can't just pick up FP. There's too much scar tissue. We tried," she said. 

"No, we didn't. I let you walk away. It's the dumbest thing I've ever done not chasing after you." 

"I didn't tell you where I was going," she offered. 

"I figured it out," he said. "I should have come after you." 

"I wouldn't have listened." 

"Doesn't matter," he said. "I should have come. I shouldn't have given up." 

"But you did," she said. "Why'd you stay with her?" 

"I wanted a family," he answered, knowing exactly who she was referring to. 

"And you let me leave." 

"Yes."

"Did you love her?"

"No," he said, smoothing down her hair. 

"What about Jughead's sister?"

"She's not mine," he said. 

"How do you know?" 

"Umm," he said, "It's kinda complicated, but we weren't... having sex when she got pregnant." 

"Oh, wow."

"Yeah."

She leaned up, looking into his face even though she couldn't see it clearly. "Do you still love me?" 

"What kinda question is that?" She stayed quiet until he gave her an actual answer. "Of course I do. I never stopped." 

She leaned down slowly and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Everything about this was home. He was home. She couldn't help the moan the escaped her lips as he put his hand on the back of her head and held her there. She leaned into him and he copied her movements and sounds before she forced herself to stop.

"I don't think we should..." 

"Yeah, you're right." 

"No, I mean, the kids are in the other room," she corrected. 

"And you don't think they're doing the same thing?"

"We have to be good. We're the grown-ups."

He groaned loudly and laid his arm across his eyes, clearly frustrated. He reached over without saying anything and gripped her ass. She giggled and leaned into him more before moving on top of him, effectively straddling him.

FP gripped her waist and looked up at her as she pulled her shirt over her head, her body warming his up. "I can be quiet if you can." 

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked, not sure what came over him. "How... how many guys have you been with?" She laughed quietly and leaned down to kiss him again. "Just guess," he pressed. 

"I don't have to," she said, in between kisses.

"Just tell me," he said again.

"None."

"That's not possible," he said, pulling back to look into her face.

"Yes, it is."

"You're gorgeous," he said flatly. 

"Thanks."

"I'm serious. There's no way."

She stopped kissing a line down his neck and looked at him as she fell to the side. "I was busy. And—and I didn't want to."

"And I cheated." 

"I don't think that's how it happened," she said. "We weren't together." 

"We're still married."

"I'm not mad."

"You should be."

She moved on top of him again, "I'm trying to have sex with you." 

"I can't," he said. 

"Oh, okay." 

He held on tight to her, keeping her in place as she tried to cover up. "I can't just have sex with you." 

"Umm..."

"I'd be making love to you. If you're okay with that then...," his words were cut off as her lips crashed into his. He could feel the smile still there as what he had admitted to washed over her.


	8. Chapter 8

"Let me go," Dylan whined quietly, her arms fighting to get free from an invisible force. "Please, let me go."

She was almost silently mouthing the words, but FP woke up anyway. He looked at her and noticed both her eyes were closed, but they were darting beneath her lids. She was having a nightmare and from what he could see, it was bad. He couldn't help but wonder how many of these he'd missed and she'd had to deal with alone. He swallowed hard and tried to decide which was better: waiting it out or waking up.

She started to thrash wider, almost hitting him in the face. He put his hands on her forearms to keep her from hurting herself. He just had to hope that the fact that he was here would be enough for her.

"Stop. Please, stop," she continued. "He's gonna kill you if he finds out." His eyebrows perked as he listened harder, waiting for anything that sounded like a clue. "Hal, stop," she said.

Tears started to leak down either side of her face now and he didn't know how much more he could take. The way she was fighting to get away left very little to the imagination as to what had happened to her. Now he just needed to know if it was real and who he needed to kill. If it was... he shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. 

"Baby, wake up. Dylan, please wake up," FP said, shaking her lightly.

"I want FP," she cried.

His heart shattered as she called out for him in her sleep. It was real and she'd needed him. He knew why she hadn't told him. The rage pouring through his veins, fighting to be heard, told him all he needed to know about why she'd keep this secret.

Her eyes popped open and she forced herself to focus on his face, the person holding her down. As soon as she realized it was him, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to her level.

"Are you okay?" FP asked.

"Yes," she lied. "Now."

"What was that?"

"I don't know," she lied again.

He didn't want to scare her off, but he didn't want Hal Cooper to live another day if he'd hurt Dylan. Nothing she could say would make that okay to him. Maybe she was right, though. Maybe there was too much scar tissue and this was some of it. He hadn't been there for her when she needed him most; when she'd called out for him.

"Tell me," he begged.

"I don't want you to go back to jail," she answered, confirming his worst fears.

"I need to know."

"You'll leave me here," she said. "If I tell you, you'll leave me here by myself."

"No. I won't," he said, this time it was his turn to lie.

Her breathing hitched as she tried to keep herself from crying some more. All he knew was that he had to put all these thoughts to rest, even if some of them were true.

"Hal and Cliff," she started.

"Clifford?" he asked, louder than he meant to. "Clifford fucking Blossom?"

She sat quietly as he worked through that piece of information. "They came to the Whyte Worm one day. They, umm, they..."

She started crying again, but this time with full force. He'd imagined the correct version of events. He wrapped his arms tighter around her tiny body and pulled her in close. He'd messed up. He'd messed up so badly he might not be able to come back from it. He knew the real question was whether he wanted to come back from it. She'd created a life far away from this place and from him. Maybe it was truly time for her to move on. 

"Sshh," he said, trying to calm her down. "You don't have to say anything else." 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she said. 

"I get it." 

"You woulda killed them," she said, searching his eyes. "I--I didn't want to be alone."

"I wouldn't have left you," he pressed.

"You wouldn't have had a choice," she countered. "You would have killed them," she repeated. 

"Do you need to tell me?" he asked. "To feel better?" 

"No," she said. "I... I can't."

"Okay." 

They didn't say another word to each other as they laid there in the dark. FP knew he wasn't going to be getting any more sleep tonight. All he could do now was imagine the alleyway outside of the bar as she struggled to get free, calling out for someone who would never come.


	9. Chapter 9

Dylan stretched wide before reaching over for FP. She felt the cold spot where he used to be and shot up. She looked around the room, but it was empty.

"FP," she called out. "FP," she said louder when there was no answer.

She pulled the sheet up to cover her chest just as tears sprang to her eyes. This can't be happening, she thought. All of her fears, where FP was concerned, were being realized this instant. She had always imagined this exact scenario: him getting what he wants in having sex with her one last time only to laugh in her face when she let herself fall for him again.

"Babe," he finally called back. "You up?"

She heaved a sigh of relief and smiled wide as he turned the corner into the room, a pan of eggs in his hands.

"Jug," he called, turning his head to yell down the hallway. "Get the hell up, kid," he teased. "School."

Dylan could hear Jughead open the door slowly and stumble into the hallway.

"Is there a fire?" he asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

Betty emerged right behind him and Dylan rushed to shut the door, not wanting to get caught without any clothes on.

"Geez, Jughead. I can cook, ya know."

"You cooked?" Dylan heard him call back, causing her and Betty to giggle at the same time.

She rushed through getting dressed before running her fingers through her hair to tame it. She emerged from the room looking a little less worse for the wear than the kids at the table. They weren't so young that they didn't know what had happened last night, but Dylan didn't want to make it glaringly obvious either.

"So, Jug," FP called over his shoulder as he divvied up the food onto 4 different plates. "Did you have any homework last night?"

Dylan watched as Jughead's eyebrows perked at what had to be an odd question. She knew he loved his child, but she also knew their relationship had done a number on both of them. Where she had thrown herself into being productive, FP hadn't done much besides working to forget it all. She didn't blame him either way, but it was nice to know she had this much of a positive effect on him.

"Nope," he answered, before diving into the plate FP sat in front of them.

Betty did the same as FP came to sit down beside Dylan. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, which she returned.

Breakfast was a quiet and awkward affair, with only FP breaking the silence. Before too long, Jughead and Betty were out the door and on their way to school. Thankfully, FP had convinced them to take the bus so Alice wouldn't try to kill them all later if she saw Betty on the back of Jughead's motorcycle.

 

\-------------

 

FP turned to Dylan, a smile still in place. "We need to talk," he said, his head down as he walked back to his bedroom.

He emerged quickly, holding the familiar stack of paperwork in his hand. He wondered if he imagined it when he saw Dylan's face fall, recognizing what was happening. She had rearranged her face so quickly, it was hard to tell if it had been real.

The smile she had on now was obviously fake, but he wasn't going to say anything. If she thought this was better, he was going to go along with it too. No matter how badly it hurt him.

He sat down at the table and, with trembling hands, signed the papers that said she was no longer his.

He passed them over to her, "Thank you. For last night," he amended.

He had to say something to keep from crying. "What'd you mean?" she asked.

"That was the perfect way to say goodbye. You have a life in Chicago. I don't wanna drag you back to this hellhole."

He could feel her eyes on him, but he couldn't force himself to look up. He knew all his resolve would fade away if he saw even a hint of apprehension on her face. And he'd imagine it if he had to.

"No," she said finally. "You're right. This is better."

He stood up and held out his arms for her. He heard her put the pen down and stand up. She wrapped her arms around his middle and he laid his chin on her shoulder, taking her all in before she disappeared again.

He let her go as she pulled back and blinked away the memories as she headed back to his room to get her stuff.

They said a quiet goodbye at the door before she rushed through the rain and over to Fred's house. FP watched her until he couldn't see her car anymore. He didn't bother to hide his emotions since it was only him here now. He could wallow until Jughead got home and then he'd have to move on.


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey," Dylan called as soon as she walked into Fred's house. "I'm gonna take a shower."

She didn't stop to wait for an answer as she started at the stairs. Fred caught her hand before she made it halfway up. "How'd it go?"

Before she could stop herself, she was blushing. "Umm... we made up," she offered, "And then he signed the divorce papers."

"Wait, what?" Fred gaped.

"Yeah, and I think he's right," she lied. "This is better. He has his life and I have mine."

"Speaking of," Mary interrupted, adjusting her watch, "See you tonight?"

"Sure," Dylan called after her as she headed up the stairs.

\-------------

Dylan sighed loudly as she walked up to the Whyte Worm, purse slung over her arm. From her perfect beige pants to her white blouse, she knew she didn't look like she belonged. Nothing about this was what she knew she should be doing, but she didn't care. She had people to protect.

She nodded to the doorman, whose jaw fell to the floor in disbelief. Every single Serpent would know who she was, whether they'd met her or not. She was in charge of this place—it didn't matter how long she'd been gone or how badly she didn't want to be. Her parentage guaranteed that she was queen.

The music died down as they realized she'd walked through the door, every eye turning to face her. They started to get out of their seats when she motioned for them to stay. They instantly obeyed and she walked up to the bartender.

Tall Boy came over and held out his hand for her to take. She could see many young faces that didn't belong, but they knew her nonetheless. The terror on their faces was evident.

She took his hand and turned to face him fully. "Who put Jughead Jones through the gauntlet?" she asked, without any sort of introduction.

Sweat Pea raised his hand and she started in his direction. Tall Boy grabbed her arm, which forced her to direct her anger back at him.

"We can let him leave," he offered. "No issues. He can leave," he repeated.

"No. He will leave. You will not let him in here," she corrected. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said quickly. "Absolutely."

She nodded curtly before turning on her heels and heading back for the door. She didn't want to stay here any longer than necessary. FP had made his decision about where she needed to be and where she fit into his life. She just needed to agree with it.

"Now," she said, stopping suddenly, "where the hell can I find Penny?"

Tall Boy leapt back up and gave her directions. She wasn't far, which made Dylan's job that much easier.

\-------------

"Are you gonna tell me why the hell you're letting her leave again?" Fred asked, rounding on FP. "And you signed the divorce papers? What the hell, man?"

Fred was on one his tirades, and FP was in no mood to stop him. He'd let the love of his life go for the second time. He didn't want to hear anything from anyone right now, no matter how long they'd been friends.

"I, uh," FP started, "she needs to get out of here."

"Oh my God. Now you believe that shit?" Fred asked, slamming his beer on the counter. "I've listened to people tell you that for years and you always said it wasn't better for you to be away from her?" Fred stared FP down. "I'm not doing this shit with you again, man. Go fucking get her," Fred insisted.

"I—I can't. Just... let it be, okay? Cliff and Hal did something to her," he blurted out. "They messed her up. It was a long time ago, I guess, but she had a nightmare about it last night and I could tell it wasn't the first time. Being here can't be good for her."

Betty gasped quietly and put her hand over her mouth, but FP heard it anyway. He hadn't meant to ruin her dad for her, but he may have and he hated himself for it. He'd been too involved in his guilt and grief to have noticed they'd even come inside.

"They did what?" Fred started, the emotion clear in his voice. "What did they do to her?" His voice rising with every syllable.

FP put his hands on Fred's shoulder to steady him. It wasn't going to be easy to keep him here now and he instantly regretted opening his mouth in the first place; especially with Hal next door. This was entirely too close.

"You've been in love with that woman since you realized she was a girl in the 1st grade," Fred continued. "Go get her. Now."

FP hung his hand and put his hands on his hips. "Think about what you're asking. She's basically royalty with the Serpents. They're gonna want her to lead, like her dad, like her grandpa. She got me and Jug outta there. I can't ask her for more than that, Fred. That's not fair."

He didn't need to look up to know that Fred was fighting back tears.

"Get her now," Fred pressed. "I'm gonna kill Hal or you're gonna get Dylan back. But you get to pick. Right now."

They stared at each other hard for a moment before FP darted out of the front door and down the steps.


	11. Chapter 11

FP sped through the streets, not even caring to make sure that there were no cops around. He was going to get there one way or another. Thankfully, almost every light was green as he darted through them. It was like even God, which he'd chosen now to believe in, was telling him he was making the right decision. He had to go and get her.

He ignored the nagging feeling that he might be headed for a pointless conversation. If she'd made up her mind already he knew he couldn't really change it but he had to say something. He wouldn't go down without a fight. Not again.

He rushed up to the ticket counter and groaned internally. He didn't have enough cash on him for a ticket to even get back to her. He dialed her number quickly and waited for her to answer. 

He rolled his eyes as he got her voicemail again and fought the need to throw it at a wall. He looked around for anyone he might know but didn't see a familiar face anywhere. He headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time hoping she hadn't already made it through security. As he peered at everyone gathered in lines he realized she wasn't there. He'd missed her.

He put his hands on his hips as he looked for something to distract him from the depression that was threatening to seep in. Just as he felt the tears sting his eyes he caught sight of Fangs. He rushed forward, waving to him. He waved back and smiled wide, motioning for FP to cut the line.

"Hey, FP," he said, "what's up?"

"Has Dylan gone through here?" he blurted out.

"Umm, yea, like 5 minutes ago maybe. Why?"

He ran his hands through his hair as he looked around again, trying to think of a plan. "I—I was gonna..."

"Oh, okay. Damn. Give me a minute," he said, walking over the other person working with him.

Fangs whispered something to the lady and then waved FP through the line and through security. He gave his friend a thumbs up as he came rushing through the other side of the metal detector.

"Gate 7," Fangs yelled after him.

He saw the signs with large numbers on them as soon as he turned the corner. His eyes darted back and forth trying to find where Dylan was. He started to jog lightly when he saw a huge 7 overhead.

He made his way to the gate and began to look around at all the faces, now staring back at him. He was getting frantic the longer it took to find her. Maybe she left earlier, he thought. Then he noticed one person not looking his way. He saw her with her glasses perched high on her nose and a book propped open in her lap. The smile spread on his lips easily as he walked forward. Everyone around them fell silent as they watched the interaction between the two. 

He gave a quiet cough to get her attention, but it didn't work. He was close to laughing as he waved a hand in between her and the book. She looked up at him and gave a smile she'd never be able to hide.

"Hey," she said slowly.

"Hey," he said back.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, ya know, I didn't get to tell you I was madly in love with you still," he ended with a shrug, like his entire life didn't depend on it.

She looked around at every staring at them before turning back to him. "What?" she hissed.

"I'm a jackass. But please don't leave."

"I have a job and a life. And you signed the divorce papers," she whispered the last part.

"I'm a fucking idiot. I just... I just thought you should get out of here. That you needed to leave. But I need you. I need you to stay."

"I have to go," she said, but it wasn't convincing at all. "I did what I came to do, FP."

He took her hands in his and pulled them to his lips, placing a small kiss on each fingertip. He could see the tears welling in her eyes.

"Will you stay married to me?" he asked.

She pulled her hands from his and leaned over to her carry-on bag. His heart was beating out of his chest. He could picture it all now: she was going to grab her stuff and run away from him but instead, she pulled back with a ring. It was the same one he'd proposed to her with a million years ago. She put it in his open palm and looked up at him.

"Do it right," she commanded.

He chuckled low and sat back on his heels long enough to get down on one knee. "Be my wife," he said, holding out the ring.

She nodded her head yes and he slipped it on her finger, his hands trembling. He stood up and she wrapped her arms around this neck to the sound of applause by her fellow passengers.


	12. Chapter 12

"Aren't we going to the trailer?" Dylan asked as they passed their normal exit. "Or back to Fred's?"

"It's close to Fred's," he said, not offering anything else.

"You're not gonna tell me, are you?"

He kept quiet as she stared a hole in the side of his head, but he was unable to keep the smirk from creeping up his face. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to show her this surprise or even go into this house again so he wasn't about to ruin it now.

He had one hand leisurely on the wheel and other was holding her hand tight. He knew she was his again, but he wasn't about let go; not anytime soon. 

They slowed down in front of the house before FP pulled into the driveway. She gasped quietly, taking her other hand to cover her mouth in surprise.

"Are we going in?" she asked, her voice thick with emotion. "Because I don't know if..."

"If you hate it when can go back to the trailer, alright?"

"Okay."

She got out the car slowly and FP rushed around to stand beside her as she worked up the nerve to go inside. He knew her real fear came from what she'd feel if she saw the baby's room again, but he'd changed everything. It was only good memories left now.

They walked up the stone pathway together before FP unlocked the front door. He felt around for the light switch in the foyer. As soon as he flipped it on, she gasped loudly taking in the updated home.

"When did you do this?" she whispered. "I thought you were gonna sell it."

"I couldn't," he admitted. "This is our place. I kinda got obsessed."

She wandered further into the living room and continued to look around. FP followed behind her, completely and utterly nervous. She was either going to think it was sweet and romantic that he'd spent the last 16 years fixing up their old house or incredibly creepy.

"I, um, didn't know what kind of stuff you liked. I hope it's okay."

"It's perfect," she whispered, running her hand over the wooden side table behind the couch. "It's all perfect. What about upstairs?" she asked cautiously.

"I changed it," he admitted. "It's just a guest room. We don't even have to open that door."

"I can," she lied.

"Maybe tomorrow," he offered.

He pulled her back into living room and down onto the couch and into his lap. "Let me text Jug and tell him where we're at. I don't want him thinkin' he can hang out with Betty at the trailer by himself," he muttered.

She giggled and grabbed the remote from a side table as he typed a quick message. "What are we watching?" he asked, yawning wide.

"We can just take a nap."

"Oh, really?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows and pulling her shirt over her head.

"To sleep," she answered, pushing his hands away.

He stuck out his bottom lip at her and she giggled again before playfully pushing his shoulder. "Fine," he conceded. "We can watch something and fall asleep like the two old people were are." 

She raised an eyebrow at him."Did you just call me old?"

"Technically, I called us both old, but yes."

He refused to look back to her, facing the TV and actively ignoring her shooting glances at him. He was fighting a smile as she huffed dramatically and crossed her arms over her chest. He knew he could get a rise out of her this way and sent a prayer up that Jughead would take his time getting here.

\-------------

Jughead shut the door to Betty's station wagon and stared up at the house. He shrugged his shoulders when Betty questioned him with her eyes. He knew about as much as she did. All his dad had told him was that he was here and had given him the address. He linked his hand with Betty's as they headed for the front door. He knocked once before pulling Betty over the threshold with him. He heard rustling in the other room, but he was too busy looking around the huge house. By the time he looked back to where his dad and Dylan were laying on the couch, she was leaned casually across his lap.

"Dad, this is...," Jughead started, trailing off.

"Yeah, Mr. Jones," Betty added but not really finishing her sentence either. 

"Betty, call me FP," he teased.

She smiled wide and they both continued through the hallway and into the kitchen, which opened back up to the living room.

"Whose house is this?" he finally asked, still in awe.

"Ours," FP said, turning as they made their way back into the living room again. "It's ours, Jug."

"Like yours and mine?" he asked, eyeing Dylan.

He wanted her to stay, she clearly made his dad happy, but he didn't want to say as much. It'd been a miracle for him to open up to Betty and Archie. He didn't want to get his hopes up. 

"It was ours," FP pointed between himself and Dylan, "from before. And then I kinda fixed it up."

"Why didn't you tell me about it? This place is awesome."

"It was hard to walk in here, Jughead," he said, hanging his head slightly. "Now that Dylan is staying for a little bit, though..."

Jughead forced his face to remain passive, not showing any emotion one way or the other. Dylan, however, didn't look fooled. He knew his dad did it too, that's where he'd gotten it, but he didn't know she'd remember all the little intricacies of FP's personality.

Betty didn't wait for Jughead as she went off into the house to explore so more. He watched the pair as Dylan tore her eyes from Jughead, but not before giving him a small smile. FP kissed her temple as they focused their attention back on the TV in front of them.

Jughead made a gagging noise as his dad made an even bigger show of pulling her down for a passionate kiss. Betty came up out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around him and smiled at the pair as Jughead rolled his eyes.

"Get used to it, Jughead," FP said as he pulled away.

He turned so no one would see him grin. "Which one's yours?" Betty asked as they walked up the stairs.


	13. Chapter 13

Dylan and FP stood by the front door, Dylan with her apron on, as Hermione and Hiram walked through the front door with Veronica. For the first time in a long time, FP's home was warm and inviting, something that wasn't usually associated with him. He was happy to have his family altogether. He didn't particularly approve of the cost it'd taken them all to get here, but they were here. That's what had to matter now.

Hermione pulled Dylan in for a hug before passing her off to Hiram. FP gave her a small hug too before shaking Hiram's hand. He could tell they both wanted to ask about the house, but it was clear Fred had warned them. He didn't want to talk about how the place that had haunted him for so long.

FP shut the door and threw his arm around Dylan's shoulders before turning to his right to check on Jughead and the rest of the kids. They were all talking and joking loudly, but it was still drowned out by the noise coming from their parents in the kitchen. FP didn't miss that Jughead was smiling without any sort of reluctance. He was happy; unabashedly happy.

Dinner flowed seamlessly into drinks as everyone chatted easily. At least once, everyone commented on FP's change in attitude and how content he seemed. Each time, Dylan would look at him shyly before turning away. All he could think about, though, was what he'd do to her when they were alone again. Each little flash of skin as she turned to talk to someone else drove him crazy.

The grown-ups finally made their way into the living room with the kids; the conversations now including both generations. Archie sat on the arm of the chair Fred was in, while Veronica was leaned against him between his legs. Kevin was on the floor beside his dad and Betty and Jughead between Alice and Dylan on the couch.

"So, how's school going?" Dylan asked as the conversation lulled momentarily.

She looked to Jughead expectedly, but Archie piped up while Jughead found his voice. Soon they were all offering up their different extracurriculars, which found FP bragging about Jughead's writing career. 

"But, I mean, It's not like Weatherbee knows what he's doing," Veronica spouted as they began to talk about their principal. "He couldn't even handle a little sexual assault case."

Dylan's eyes shot to Tom who held his arms up in defense. Next, she looked to FP who didn't seem to know any more than Tom. Clearly, the adults in the room had missed some vital piece of information.

"What happened?" she asked, turning her attention back to Veronica.

"Oh, it was... nothing. Really."

"What happened?" Dylan repeated. 

Veronica told the most clipped and PG version of the story, but it wasn't helping Dylan's mood. All the kids looked confused as they didn't know her background. The adults, however, were getting simultaneously angry and watching Dylan closely for her reaction.

Veronica finished and without a word Dylan stood slowly, pulling out her phone. She was whispering frantically as soon as someone picked up on the other end.

"I don't care," she screeched after a minute. 

FP jumped out of his set next and headed for her. As soon as he was at her side she felt every muscle releasing the adrenaline stored there. "Okay, I'll be there tomorrow."

She hung up and turned around in his arms, letting him envelop her completely. "Hanging up doesn't feel as good when you just push a button, does it?" he joked quietly.

Everyone in the other room could hear them clearly and they each chuckled quietly before turning their attention to Hiram. "Let's play a game," he said, clapping his hands together.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I know there is no way this could happen in real life. It's just for fun.

Dylan's skirt clung tight to her hips as she made her way through the halls of Riverdale High. She never thought she'd come back to this place, but being with FP had brought her to stranger places than this.

Tom Keller was right on her heels as she made her way to the principal's office. She knew Weatherbee probably thought she'd let it go, but there was no chance in hell that was happening. Not taking this particular issue seriously was a sure-fire way to get Dylan from zero to crazy in 2 seconds. This is was, and would always be, unacceptable.

Archie and Veronica gave her a funny look as soon as they noticed her. She just smiled back a she turned left, straight into the office where Weatherbee was writing at his desk. She looked at him in time to see the dumbfounded expression cross his face. 

"So," Dylan started, "I heard a rumor, Wally."

"Oh," he answered, swallowing hard, "And what was that?"

"Did you, or did you not, ignore a student when she told you she'd been sexually assaulted? And isn't it true that you only paid attention to the now much larger issue when Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge forced you to do your job?"

She heard Tom chuckle before covering it up with a cough. The anger that now bubbled up inside her had been fighting to get free for a long time. Weatherbee had mistreated FP before he was even really in a position of authority. She could only imagine how he'd treated him out in town since she'd been gone.

"Let's go, Waldo," Tom finally called.

"Excuse me?" he asked, his voice getting higher. "I'm not leaving."

"Did I not say before?" she taunted. "You're fired. I just paid the school board an absurd amount of money to be the one to take your sorry ass out of here myself."

His mouth fell open at her admission and she couldn't stop from smirking. He swallowed hard again as he scooted his seat back. She was all confidence, on the outside, but she didn't know what he was really capable of either.

"I'll leave," he said, without looking at either of them.

He made it out the door without another word, both of them watching closely. She now realized she'd not only expected him to yell at her, but she'd wanted him too. There was just too much adrenaline coursing through her body.

"Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be," Tom voicing what she'd just been thinking.

She just shrugged her shoulders even though she had so much more to say on this subject. "What's next?"

"Now I go tell Scott he's up," Tom said. "Then I need to call Mayor McCoy."

"Why?"

"She's gotta hold a special election."

Dylan nodded as she watched Tom head to the other office nearby. She sat in the empty one all alone and couldn't help feeling aloof. She had done everything she'd meant to, but it was too easy. In her experience, the other shoe always dropped and she was waiting to see what it was this time.

She stood slowly and smoothed out her blouse as she went to stand in the main reception area. At least, she thought wryly, I can surprise FP for lunch and tell him all about how I made the so-called King of Riverdale High kneel.

\-------------

"Are you guys going too?" Dylan asked Jughead and Betty as she put on her earrings in the hallway mirror.

"Yeah, might be fun to see the bloodbath," Jughead teased.

Dylan rolled her eyes and chuckled quietly. "You're just like your dad, ya know?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She knew it unnecessarily bring up the subject everyone tiptoed around.

"I've heard that somewhere before," he joked.

She was happy to see they'd glazed over what she'd said or, it was also possible, he didn't see it the way everyone was worried he did.

"Alright, well, do you guys wanna ride with us?"

"Umm, no."

"Oh, I forgot. Parents aren't cool."

"Exactly."

Betty giggled at their interaction before she wrapped her arms around his waist and lead him back toward his room. She tried to push it out of her head what they were going to be doing up there as she made it into the living room.

FP was sprawled out on the couch with the remote laying haphazardly in his hand. He whistled low when she walked in and hopped up quickly from his seat.

"I didn't know you could move that fast, old man."

He stuck his tongue out at her as her motioned for her to do a little spin and she obliged. He wrapped his fingers around hers as he began to dance them both around the couch to music only he could hear. She laid her head on his chest as they swayed.

"You know what they're doing up there, right?" she pressed.

"Nope," he lied."They're both virgins and they're gonna stay that way until they're 40."

She snorted as he kept swaying them in circles. Dylan was glad, as she danced with him, that he obviously didn't want to leave the little bubble they'd created for themselves recently.

Jughead came bounding down the stairs with Betty in tow. "Man, Jug, you have perfect timing," FP laughed.

Jughead gave a crooked smile before waving to the pair as he ran to his motorcycle.

\-------------

FP motioned for Dylan to take a seat in the same row as Fred, Alice, Hermione, and Hiram. They all waved 'hello' and she hugged Fred since he was the only one close enough. They all chatted happily as FP looked around the crowd until he found the kids.

He put Dylan's hand on his leg as Mayor McCoy took the stage. She quieted down and turned to give a smile to him before looking to the front.

"Good evening," Sierra said, her voice ringing out the room. "I know everyone knows why we're here, but just let me say that I'm so happy everyone's decided to take such an active role in their child's education."

Most people in the audience nodded or gave some indication they were listening, but Archie and Jughead didn't even bother pretending. They were, at least, being quiet.

"We're going to call out our nominations, one at a time," she pointed out. "But we are changing some of the rules. Each student will be given the option to not only vote tonight but to nominate if they want to and, to keep it as fair as possible, you can't nominate your parents."

The crowd gave a laugh as she turned back to the volunteers behind her to see if they was ready. They gave her a thumbs up and she looked back to the sea of faces before her.

A lot of people passed on their opportunity to give a nomination, with only a few actually calling out names. It got to the kids first and FP found himself getting nervous. They were all whispering together, which couldn't mean anything good.

Jughead's name was called and he nodded and moved back in his seat. Whatever had happened, they were clearly all in agreement. "Yeah, I wanna nominate Dylan Pierson."

FP looked to Dylan to get her reaction. All she could do, though, was sit there smiling politely as everyone stared. The audience instantly started to talk and FP wanted to step in. She was with him again and that meant whatever was being whispered wasn't good. He knew she wasn't oblivious, but it'd hurt all the same.

"We were gonna nominate you if someone else didn't," Alice piped up suddenly.

Dylan's eyes shot to Alice and gave her a look. "Why would you think I'm even remotely qualified to run a high school?" she hissed.

Mayor McCoy called everyone back to order and continued her way through the rest of the crowd. Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of nominations after Dylan's had been called. He looked to Jughead again, but all he could offer his son was an apprehensive smile. He had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next.

She started to call out the nominations and waited for each person to vote. He couldn't help but notice that not one hand was going up. 

"Dylan Pierson," she finally caught out.

Every single hand in the auditorium went up without hesitation, including FP's. 

"By way of unanimous vote, Dylan Pierson has been elected principal of Riverdale High School."

Everyone started to clap as she stood slowly and waved at the room. He knew she was made for this work, though she might not have the degree she felt necessary. He'd just have to convince her.

She shook hands with those around her for 45 minutes before they made it back to the parking lot. She heaved a sigh of relief and Jughead and Betty came over to his window with Archie and Fred on Dylan's side.

"Wanna come over for dinner to celebrate?"

"We were gonna go to Pop's," Kevin said from behind Jughead, "But we don't want you to get mobbed."

FP said yes without talking to her first and they all headed back to their cars. 

FP grabbed her free hand and gave it a squeeze as she pulled her phone up to her ear. "You can do both jobs," he offered, knowing the conclusion she'd come to. 

"No, I can't," she said quietly as she waited for Mary to answer.

She rattled off all that happened in the last hour to her best friend as Mary sat quiet on the other end. When Dylan finished, she was nearly in tears. FP knew that Mary heard the emotion in her voice. It was impossible to miss.

"Wait? What?"

Mary started to talk now, but FP couldn't make out what she was saying. Dylan was shaking her head. She was going to be stubborn until the end, on this subject. She was the only person who'd never been able to see how amazing she was.

She hung up and turned to FP, "She said... she said she's moving everything down here."

She seemed in shock and FP couldn't blame her. "That's great, right?"

"Do you want to be with me?" she blurted out.

"Of course I do," he said.

"I mean, forever. We can't do this anymore. We can't mess up again. Okay? Because I moved on, I really did, and now I'm changing my whole life for this—for you. You have to be sure."

"I've always been sure."

She moved back in the seat and stared out the windshield as he made his way to the high school. She wasn't paying any attention to what was happening as she worked through everything by herself.

"Where are we?" she asked as soon as they were in a parking space facing the building.

"Do you remember when we were in school?"

"Yes," she said slowly.

"Do you remember the girl I fell in love with? The one who was gonna change the world? Who wanted to be a teacher? Who kicked my ass into gear every single day?"

She smiled, "Yes."

"Where'd she go?"

"I, umm, I don't know."

"Well, she needs to come back. She has some work to do." She chuckled quietly. "I know you'll have to go back to school and then teach and then do all kinds of other stuff, but I'll be here the whole time. And you can read. I'll make sure you have time to do that too."

She leaned over, placing her hands on either side of his face, and pulling him in for a kiss. He moaned into her mouth and didn't bother to fight the smile as they participated in one of their favorite past times: making out in the school parking lot.


	15. Chapter 15

FP smiled over at Dylan as she sat across the table from him, one arm outstretched to hold his hand and the other reading through stories on her phone. Her cereal sat untouched in front of her and FP wondered if he should say something. Knowing how distracted she usually got, though, he was sure it was pretty common. 

"Oh my God, so what are you gonna do?" Betty asked whoever was on the phone with her as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. She mouthed 'sorry' to them just as Jughead came in behind her, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Did you spend the night?" Dylan asked of Betty.

Jughead nodded as he came up behind his girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her waist. Dylan turned to FP and gave him a look before kicking him under the table and motioning for him to talk to the kids.

"Oh, um, guys," FP said suddenly. "Can we talk?" 

Betty said a quick goodbye before hanging up and turning to them. 

"We have to pretend like we're the grown-ups," he admitted. "And Dylan is the principal now so... it looks bad. Betty, you're awesome and everything, but you can't spend the night anymore."

"That's okay, Mr. Jones."

"Yeah, dad. That's fine. You're right."

"Thanks, Juggy." As soon as the words left FP's mouth Jughead's eyes grew huge. "Oh, you thought I was deaf?" Dylan burst out laughing and playfully pushed his shoulder as the kids ran out of the room in embarrassment. "That was way more fun than yelling," he confessed.

She giggled as she stood up, shaking her head at his antics. "I gotta get to school." 

He came up behind her as she leaned over the counter to unplug different devices and throw them in her purse. He didn't waste time in kissing a line down to her collarbone. 

She turned around in his arms and wrapped her own around his neck. She smiled wide before leaning forward and pressing her lips to his. FP moaned into her mouth and wrapped her legs around his waist before sitting her on the counter behind the both of them. HIs hands started to roam her body as she leaned into him.

"I have to get to school," she repeated, out-of-breath as he started to kiss down her neck.

"Can I just say how hot it is that I'm making out with the principal?" 

"You had the hots for our principal?" she asked, laughing.

"Not our principal," he corrected. "Just the fact that you're the principal, smart ass."

"Got a thing for authority figures, huh?"

"Fuck yeah," he groaned as his fingers crept up the inside of her thigh.

Jughead cleared his throat and the adults sprang apart. They started laughing instantly at their reaction to getting caught. Jughead smirked at them as he walked around the pair to find breakfast.

"We can do this," FP answered, pointing between them.

"Whatever, dad."

Dylan smoothed out her clothes and hopped off the counter, placing a quick kiss on FP's lips before grabbing all her things and heading for the door. He knew she was already running behind, and he hadn't helped, but he hated being away from her.

"Take her lunch," Jughead said, breaking through FP's train of thought. "It's her first day," he continued, "Take her lunch."

"I can handle my relationship, Jug," FP teased. "But thanks. I was already plannin' on it."

"You never took me lunch," Jughead said, pretending that his feelings were hurt.

"Yeah, yeah. Go get ready for school. And, seriously, don't have sex with your girlfriend while I'm home, okay? I can't feign blissful ignorance if you two are upstairs doing it."

"We haven't—umm—we haven't done it yet," Jughead answered quickly.

"Thank God," FP said. "I mean.... No. That's what I meant."

Jughead chuckled and scarfed down the rest of his cereal before darting back up the stairs.

\-------------

"Hey, Principal Pierson," Jughead called, jogging to catch up with her.

"Jug, we live in the same house. Call me Dylan," she finished with a wink. "What's up?"

"I was, uh, wondering if we could use the trailer for homeless Serpent kids?"

Dylan stopped suddenly and Jughead did the same. He had ahold of Betty's hand and she ran into him before standing upright again.

"That's a great idea, Jughead. Let FP know and I'll set it up, okay?"

"Thanks," Jughead said, giving Dylan a side hug before rushing off.

Dylan smiled after them and waved to Archie as soon as he caught her eye. She shook her head as she walked to her office, making sure to separate several couples making out in the hallway right in front of her.

"Ya know," FP said, making her look up from her phone as she walked into the office. "We used to do that all the time." Kimberly, the receptionist, starting laughing. "See, she agrees with me."

Dylan rolled her eyes before dragging him into her office. "I need to talk to you."

She waved to Kim to hold any of her calls before shutting and locking the door. 

"In this office?" he asked.

"Yes, please," she moaned, taking off her jacket and unbuttoning her shirt.


	16. Chapter 16

Dylan sat with her arm laying across the cold lab table, her other hand on her phone like always. She winced slightly as Mr. Stewart pricked her finger.

He noticed her expression, "Just enough for one film and one vile. I promise."

"That's okay," she said, smiling up at him.

"Well, Ms. Pierson, how's it been going?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "It's only been a month, but I love it, actually. I wasn't sure at first."

"If you'd asked me back then, I would've told you. You're perfect for this," he answered, pointing around the room.

"Thank you."

"So...," he pressed. "How's FP?"

She chuckled, "He's good. He helps a lot. I'm sure I would've gone crazy before now without him. I can still read manuscripts."

"Good. Good," he said, "I'm just glad you guys found your way back to each other."

"Really?" she asked, unable to hide the shock. No one had really kept it a secret how they felt about the couple, even now.

"Really. I've seen married people not be in as much love, ever, as the two of you were in high school. And you actually understood the nuisances of giving yourself over to another person like that. It was lovely to see," he said in a dreamy tone, clearly reminiscing.

He gave her a band-aid and, thankfully, didn't look to her again since she could feel herself blushing. Regardless, it was nice that there was someone back then that had been on their side.

"How does this work?" she asked, pointing to the machine and effectively changing the subject.

"Well, we're using your blood as a control. It shows the differences and similarities in DNA if someone is related or not."

"That sounds way more fun than when we were in school."

"You have no idea," he laughed. 

He waved her out of the room as she walked back to her office. The entire school was quiet, having almost an eery feeling to it this early in the morning.

\-------------

"Alright," Mr. Stewart called the class to order. "Settle down. You guys are the last class before lunch. Let's hurry this up. I'm hungry."

The class gave a polite laugh, but no one raised their hands. He looked around the room for his latest victim and Jughead tried to make himself as small as possible in the seat.

"Jughead Jones," he called and Jughead groaned quietly. 

Without a word, he walked to the front of the room and handed over his vile of blood. Even though he was fascinated with all things macabre, he found himself weirded out by carrying his own blood around, no matter the reason.

"Alright," he said, handing it over to the technician. "We're using Ms. Pierson's blood as a control. Look at the screen and you'll be able to see the differences as soon as the report pulls up." 

The class waited patiently as the little computer whirred like it was ready to take off. The tech looked to Mr. Stewart just as the report showed on the screen for everyone to see. The ways in which his DNA was similar to Dylan's was outlined and there were definitely more than Mr. Stewart was expected as he stood there with his mouth open.

He shot a look to the technician who lowered the screen quickly. Mr. Stewart swallowed hard and turned to the rest of the class, obviously wondering how to handle this. Jughead wasn't stupid. He was pretty sure he knew what that meant, but it didn't make any sense.

"Lunch early," he announced suddenly and rushed everyone from the room.

As Jughead turned around, he noticed Kevin, Betty, Archie, and Veronica were still in their seats. He gave them all a small smile before facing the front again.

Mr. Stewart walked over to the intercom on the wall and pushed the button. "Yes?"

"Yes, this is Mr. Stewart. Could you send Ms. Pierson down to my classroom immediately?"

"Sure," Kimberly said. "Everything okay?"

"As soon as possible," he said, not offering her anything more. 

The intercom clicked off and now every eye was on him. He hated being the center of attention, even among his friends. Instead of concentrating on the silence, he went through a list of scenarios.

He was on number 37 when Dylan finally walked in. Thankfully, now every eye was on her. 

"What's up?" she asked, looking around, clearly feeling the tension in the room. 

The smile faded quickly when no one said a word. They all looked serious and he wondered what conclusion she was coming to.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Dylan," Mr. Stewart started, using her first name. "We, umm, we did some of our DNA mapping and stuff and, umm, well it came back with some... interesting results for Jughead."

"Okay," she said slowly. "And?"

He motioned for her to come stand behind the computer like he was. The technician pushed a few buttons that allowed the screen to pop back up, but Mr. Stewart made sure to shut off the larger one this time.

She carefully walked around the table and stood behind the technician as she looked. It didn't take her long to come to the right conclusion and her eyes shot back to Jughead. He couldn't place the emotions flitting across her face.

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

"Me? Why me?"

"If this is true," she said, pointing to the screen, "this is gonna make you go back on everything you thought was true. I'm not deciding this for you."

"Who would my dad be?" he blurted out.

"FP," she said flatly.

"Call him."


	17. Chapter 17

Dylan sat with her head in her hands, FP rubbing her back periodically. Neither of them knew what to do next. All she was now, though, was angry. She'd never felt this way before. It was blinding. She couldn't believe that there was someone out there that would steal another person's child. The entire situation was bizarre, in the worst way.

"What do we do?" Jughead whispered.

 _We go and kill Gigi_ , she thought but knew she couldn't voice it. 

No matter what happened or how she felt, another woman had raised her child. He was still sitting across from her so she would have to curb any homicidal tendencies, no matter how justified they might be.

"What do  _you_  want to do?" FP asked him.

"I wanna stay here."

"No one's gonna make you leave, Jug. But... this is different. We're not gonna push this on you, but Dylan hasn't known you and that..."

"Sucks," Jughead finished. "I know it does."

FP nodded and looked back to Dylan, offering her a small smile which she didn't return. She didn't exactly blame him, but she couldn't understand how he'd never noticed the similarities between them. She'd missed out on her son's life and she had no one else here she could blame.

A knock on the front door broke through her internal dialogue and FP gave them both a strange look. Jughead shrugged his shoulders which only made Dylan nervous. Whoever it was, no one had been expecting. She moved over to the couch to sit next to Jughead, fighting the urge to put her arms around him.

"Jellybean?" FP asked as the little girl lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his middle. 

Both Dylan and Jughead shot up and moved toward them. Dylan didn't really know how to respond so she stood in the archway leading to the foyer. She couldn't help but smile at the sight before her. Their happiness at seeing Jellybean was infectious. The reason they were home in the middle of the day wasn't completely gone from her mind, but she could understand how easy it was to forget.

FP stood back and held out his arm for Dylan. "Jellybean, this is Dylan."

She held out her hand and Jellybean shook it reluctantly. Dylan knew it'd be hard for the girl to like her. No matter how batshit crazy her mom was, she still felt a loyalty to her. She couldn't fault her for that. 

"I—uh—can I talk to you?" she asked, looking up to FP.

They all moved into the dining room, the kids taking a seat across from the adults. Jellybean was basically in Jughead's lap as they started the conversation. It was clear, whatever had happened to her, was bad.

"So?" FP asked.

"Mom lost it," she admitted, confirming Dylan's worst fears. "She just started screaming. She found out you were here," she answered, pointing to Dylan. "It was crazy and I was scared so I left... Are you mad?"

FP looked to Jellybean, "Absolutely not."

He'd answered for her and any other time she'd be mad, but she was glad he had the words. She didn't know if she'd be able to keep the emotions out of her voice. She was worried, too. Nothing good was going to come from them not knowing Gigi's first move.

"I need to call Tom," FP said, turning to Dylan.

She nodded her head as he darted into the other room where he'd left his cell phone. Dylan leaned across the table and grabbed Jellybean's hand. No matter what happened next, it'd be okay. 


	18. Chapter 18

FP looked over the large, glossy desk at the lawyer as he signed the last piece of paper that would let Jellybean stay with them for as long as she wanted. Granted, they'd done this little stunt to force Gigi's hand, but he was happy with how it'd ended anyway. He couldn't believe he got to have both his kids at home with him.

"Alright," the man said, "that's it. I'll go file this with the courthouse and we'll be all good to go."

"Thanks," Dylan said, jumping out of her seat. "Ready?"

FP noticed that she wasn't asking him, but the kids instead. They both nodded and she put an arm around each of their shoulders as she steered them out of the plush office. She laid her head on Jughead's shoulder as they made their way through the hall and back out the front door. He walked behind them, hands in his pockets, wondering how it was possible that his life could be this good.

He loved how easily they'd all fallen into their roles, too. Jughead and Jellybean didn't ever push back when they were given bedtimes or chores, like they enjoyed the simplicity. Dylan, of course, had become their mother so quickly it was like she'd always been here.

They crossed the empty street, looking both ways, before hopping into the car. FP was last to get in and Dylan put her hand in his as soon as he was close enough. He leaned over and gave her a slow kiss before pulling out of the parking lot and pointing the car toward home.

It hadn't taken him long to realize why he'd never enjoyed the domestic life before, too. It had never been right without her. He almost felt sorry for Gigi and how it was never going to work out, no matter how hard either of them tried. He'd never gotten over Dylan and he could only imagine how hard that must have been to live with.

His memories took him all the way home without realizing how he'd gotten there. Jughead and Jellybean darted inside the house as FP made his way leisurely around the car. She was typing away on her cell phone as he leaned against the door, just watching her and smiling.

"Wanna go out tonight?" he asked, causing her to finally look up at him.

"To Pop's?"

"How about we go somewhere else? Maybe into the city. I'll ask Alice if she can watch the kids and we can spend the night up there, in a hotel or something."

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as she stood up out of her seat. "That sounds fun. We can try the one thing we used to do since we don't have to worry about being loud."

He laughed louder than he had in a while, "I don't think either of us bend that way anymore."

She shrugged her shoulders as she sauntered into the house ahead of him. He knew she was swaying her hips that way to drive him crazy and it was working. He bit his bottom lip as she gave him a look over her shoulder.


	19. Chapter 19

"Thanks, Alice," Dylan said as she leaned in for a hug. "Don't pick on Jug too much."

"Wait," she said, "I didn't agree to that."

They both laughed as Jughead looked horrified. Dylan walked over and gave Jellybean another hug before heading out the door and down the street to finish getting ready. She hated not knowing what FP had planned, but she trusted him enough to let him have this.

She gave a wave to Fred as she passed his house where he was sitting with Mary on the porch discussing something clearly private. She noticed that they didn't look upset, so she hoped that meant that they were finally working things out. Dylan knew that everything that had happened hadn't just affected her and FP. It went much deeper than that and she was happy to see everything being put back where it belonged.

She took a deep breath as she walked up the driveway to her own house, to their house. She wondered if they'd even make it to dinner after she put on the outfit she had planned. Dylan smirked to herself as she shut the door behind her and turned to the stairs.

The doorbell rang and she hesitated on the bottom step. "FP," she called. "Can you get the door, babe?"

"Give me just a second," he said from the kitchen. "I'll be right there."

Whoever it was, rang the doorbell again impatiently. She rolled her eyes and turned around back toward the door. Now that she thought about it, she knew it had to be one of the kids. They'd probably forgotten something for their impromptu sleepover, so when she pulled the door open wide she had a smile on her face. What she saw instead was the last thing she could have imagined.

Her mouth dropped open as she saw Gigi standing there with a gun in her hands, pointing directly at Dylan's chest. She knew she should be scared, but all she cared about was making sure FP didn't make it to the door.

"Hey there," Gigi said quietly, her voice even and calm.

"Hi," Dylan said, her voice shaking. "Listen, just let me come outside and shut the door, okay? Don't hurt him, please."

She knew she was begging and she knew FP would hate her forever for what she was about to do, but he would be alive to hate her and that's what she cared about right now. Gigi nodded her head and Dylan stepped onto the porch.

"Babe, who is it?" FP asked, coming toward them.

She sighed heavily knowing there was no way to stop him. Gigi, however, had an all-knowing smile on her face. She was about to get everything she wanted.

"Babe?" he asked, peeking his head out the door she hadn't had time to close all the way. "Gigi, what...," his words trailing off as he noticed what she had in her hand.

"FP, go back inside," Dylan commanded, but she'd known it before she'd said it. He wasn't going to leave her.

"Not happening," he answered, never taking his eyes off Gigi. "What the hell are you doing, Gigi? This isn't about Dylan and you know it. You're mad at me. Point the gun at me," he said slowly.

Thankfully, Gigi didn't listen to him. "It is about her," she screeched. "It's always been about her."

"Okay, okay," he said, moving to stand between them. "But this isn't going to fix anything. If you do this, you'll never see the kids again."

"I don't care about them," she admitted. "I just want her to hurt like she hurt me." 

She clenched her jaw as she gripped the pistol and trigger tighter. Dylan closed her eyes as she waited for the onslaught. She heard the shot, but she never felt the pain that was supposed to greet her next.

She very carefully opened one eye and then the other before looking down. Instead of seeing blood, though, she saw FP curled into a ball with a pool of blood underneath him. The shock took over momentarily before she realized she had to do something or she'd lose him forever.


	20. Chapter 20

_FP struggled to open his eyes, not ready for the pain he was about to be in. He knew he was in a bed. He could feel the soft pillows he was laying on. Dylan must have gone home to get them. Nothing at the hospital would have been good enough. He couldn't help but smile as he thought of her bossing around nurses and doctors._

_He stared up at the ceiling and noticed there wasn't any beeping or whirring of nearby machines. Maybe he was dead._

_"Hey," Dylan whispered nearby._

_He turned to his right and saw her staring back at him. She reached over and put her hand on his cheek before smiling wide. She leaned forward slowly, too slowly, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips._

_"Hi," he said finally._

_She groaned suddenly and moved to her back. FP laid his arm across her middle to pull her closer. He realized her silk pajamas were straining against her stomach. He **was**  dead and he was in hell._

_He could feel the tiny kicks from inside her and couldn't find the will to move. He was going to be forced to relive the most painful moment in either of their lives. He knew he wasn't a good man by anyone's standards, but this seemed unnecessarily cruel._

_She stood up and waddled to the bathroom without another word to him. He laid on his back and stared at the ceiling again. He closed his eyes as tight as he could and forced himself out of this place. It wasn't real, he reminded himself several times, and he could just leave if he wanted._

\------------------------

_He woke up to the sound of a whimpering baby nearby. The fogginess surrounding his thoughts was still there, but he forced himself upright. Dylan was standing off to the side of their room bouncing around with a tiny Jughead leaned against her shoulder. His little eyelids were drooping as she sang a lullaby that didn't quite reach FP's ears._

_This place he wanted to stay in, but he couldn't keep himself awake. This should have been their lives and it'd been ripped away. He laid down slowly as his arms gave out from underneath him and his head hit the pillow._

\------------------------

_"Look at Mommy, Jug."_

_The whole world turned as his eyes opened. A five-year-old Jughead was standing in front of Dylan as she snapped pictures. His hair was parted in a way that it never had been and his bright blue polo was buttoned all the way to the top._

_Dylan wiped a tear away before Jughead had time to see. "Alright, Jug. Go stand by Daddy."_

_"Yes, mommy," he said before trotting over to FP._

_They turned to Dylan who pointed the camera at them now before giving Jughead permission to run down the steps after Archie and Betty, who were waiting patiently for him._

_The kids turned to give them a wave before darting down the sidewalk. Fred stopped his truck in front of their house and waved to FP to join him. Dylan stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss. He jogged toward his friend, but he never did make it before the darkness closed in and he was gone._

\------------------------

"Please," Dylan begged. "Please."

She laid her head on his hand and started to cry. He focused all his attention on opening his eyes again, but couldn't make himself move. He noticed, too, that the more he focused on getting her attention the quicker his dreams were slipping away. He didn't know which he wanted more.

"Ya know," Fred said, somewhere in the room, "he wouldn't leave you if he had a choice."

"If he had a choice," she repeated. "But what if he doesn't?"

FP tried harder to move, open his mouth, or do anything but he was forced to lie silent while his wife begged for him to come back. 


	21. Chapter 21

"Why don't you go home?" Mary asked.

"I'm not leaving," Dylan said.

"I'll call you if he wakes up while you're gone."

"I said 'no'."

"Will you eat if I go get it?"

Dylan didn't say anything as she looked to her friends. 

"That's enough," Fred interjected. "You know he's gonna kick your ass when he wakes up and finds out you were being an ass."

"If," she corrected. "If he wakes up."

Fred shook his head and stared at her like he wanted to say something else. She turned to FP instead, not giving him the chance. Dylan laid her head down on his arm and looked back to his face. She's stared at it so long over the past four days she'd memorized every crease.

"Want something, hun?" Mary asked, ignoring Dylan's silent tantrum.

"Sure, babe," Fred said, bending his neck backward.

Mary leaned down to give him a quick kiss and left him smiling like an idiot as he watched her go. Dylan knew she should be celebrating in the fact that they were back together, but she couldn't be anything except worried.

Fred started to hum a song as soon as it got quiet again and Dylan found herself fighting the urge to scream at him. She knew it wasn't really him or even the song she couldn't place that was making her angry, but she was angry. She was the only one that seemed to enjoy the silence. She was starting to hate everyone's need to fill it. 

She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she had started to plan her new life; the one she never thought she'd have to deal with. It kept her from going crazy, sure, but she didn't want any of this to be real. 

"You know I hate that song," FP whispered.

Without even thinking, Dylan shot up from her seat and stared down at him. His eyes were moving underneath his lids for the first time since they'd come to the hospital. Fred was suddenly right next to her trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Oh my God, man. What the hell?"

"Oh, ya know," FP started, swallowing hard, "Thought I'd take a little nap."

He opened his eyes finally, looking around for Dylan until he locked on her face.

"I'm gonna go get a nurse. I'll be right back."

Dylan prayed that Fred knew well enough to give them a few minutes before sending in everyone. She needed this time to comprehend how any of this was even possible.

"Don't do that to me again," Dylan said.

"Yes ma'am."

\------------------------

FP walked over the threshold, with Jughead's help, as Dylan waited just inside. Jughead wouldn' say anything, but she could tell he was enjoying the fact that his father needed him. She wasn't about to step in and take that from him.

She gave FP a little smile as he gave Jughead permission to let him walk the rest of the way to the couch. He winced as he made his way to her, but she pretended not to see. He hated that hospital as much as she hated seeing him in it. She just had to believe he'd say something if it got too bad.

He held out his arms for her and she placed her own around him gingerly. "Ya know," he whispered, "I'm not made of glass."

"Not so fun is it?"

He chuckled and leaned down to give her a kiss before he sat down. "I wasn't that bad was I?" 

"Are you kidding?" 

She laid the remote in his lap laid her head on his shoulder. He sighed heavily, for the first time in a long with, and took a minute to appreciate everything around him.

He could hear the gentle thud of Jellybean's music from upstairs fighting with Jughead's to be heard. Dylan was lacing her fingers with his as he flipped on the TV. He knew nothing got better than this.


End file.
